Cigarette packing machine



p 7 1936- c. 1. BRAREN 2,053,41s

CIGARETTE PACKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1930 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BY flj/ MIMI W 1 ATTORNEYS C. l. BRAREN CIGARETTE PACKING MACHINE I Sept. 8, 3936.

Filed Dec. ll, 1930 8 SheetsSheet 2 Sept. 8, 1936. c. I. BRAREN v 2,053,418

CIGARETTE PACKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1930 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 8, 1936. c. l. BRAREN CIGARETT E PACKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1930 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 A INVENTOR BY pad/M )MW g M ATTORNEYS p 3 c. l. BRAREN I 2,053,4w

CIGARETTE PACKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1930 8 Shets-Sheet e INVENTOR I BY [B n/w M, Ms W ATTORNEY5 Sept 8, 1936. c. I. BRAREN CIGARETTE PACKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1930 8 Shets-Sheet 7 INVENTOR M QM I 4 BY p I W,WM+ M 1 W, ATTORNEY5 Sept, 8, 1936. c. I. BRAREN 2,053,418

CIGARETTE PACKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1930 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR BY [QC/PM, MM, YMMV W 4 ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE PACKING MACHINE Application December 11, 1930, Serial No. 501,511

3 Claims.

This invention relates to cigarette-boxing machines and has for its object to provide a machine which will take cigarette packages from a series of machines which perform the last operation on the cigarette package-usually the application of a transparent wrapper to the packages-and pack a predetermined number of such packages in a carton.

The machine is designed to operate in conjunction with a carton-closing and sealing machine such as disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 501,513 filed concurrently herewith.

The machine of the present invention receives cigarettes from the delivery belts of a number of the package-finishing machines and places ten of the packages in two rows of five each in a pasteboard carton having upstanding flaps along its four top edges, the carton thus filled being delivered by a discharge belt which may serve to bring the filled but unsealed carton to the machine of my copending application.

Cartons of this type have heretofore been primarily packed by hand for the reason principally that no satisfactory means has heretofore been devised which will invariably and without the constant supervision of the operator, place the desired number of packages of cigarettes in each carton. The difficulty of providing a satisfactory apparatus for this purpose was principally because of the fact that machines from which the packages of cigarettes are received do not furnish continuously a uniform output of cigarette packages. One machine or another may be shut down temporarily for adjustment or repairs. Also, gaps in the delivery lines are occasioned by the inspectors removing defective packages from the conveyors.

In the machine of the present application the difficulty heretofore resulting from this irregularity of the delivery of the packages to the machine is taken care of by controlling the machine, through the packages themselves as they are advanced to the carton-filling instrumentalities in such manner that the machine will not operate to feed the packages into the carton unless a full charge of ten packages is present.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine for performing the above-described operations which will be entirely automatic in its operations so that it may be installed between the delivery belts of the cigarette-wrapping machines and the feed belt of the carton-closing and sealing machine and operate continuously without attention of any sort to pack the packages of cigarettes in the cartons.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of this character which can be operated at high speed so that one carton-filling machine will successfully take care of the output of three or more wrapping machines.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, and in said drawings:

Figures la and 1b constitute together a iongitudinal section of the entire machine on lines Ia and lb of Figs. 2 and 3, respectively;

Fig. 2 is a plan view on a somewhat enlarged scale of a portion of the mechanism shown in 15 Fig. 1a;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1b;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the same portion of the machine on line 4-4 of Fig. 1b;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view on line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. '7 is a detail'view on an enlarged scale on line 1-1 of Fig. 1a;

Fig. 8 is a detail view on line 8-8 of Fig. 2;

Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views of the automatic switch mechanism for controlling the operation of the machine, on the correspondingly numbered lines of Fig. 1b.

Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view on line ll--ll of Fig. 4;

Fig. 12 is detail view of one of the flights of one of the feed chains for the cartons; 35

Fig. 120. is a similar view of one of the flights of another feed chain for the cartons;

Figs. 13-19, inclusive, are sectional views, partly diagrammatic, showing the successive operations of the machine; and 40 Fig. 20 is a schematic view showing the electric control mechanism for the machine.

The machine comprises primarily two parts, namely, a cigarette package assembling and delivering mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1a, and a carton filling mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1b, the two being connected by a continuously driven feed belt I driven directly by a separate driving motor 2 designated as a belt motor, suitably mounted on the frame of the carton-filling portion of the machine.

The package assembling and delivering mech-- anism is illustrated in Figs. 1a, 2, 7, and 8. This mechanism comprises a bed plate 3 supported on suitable columns 4 arranged to underly the discharge ends of the delivery chutes 6 leading from the several package-wrapping machines of which three are illustrated in Fig. la. The cigarette packages are indicated at P and are advanced along the chutes toward the bed plate 3 under a yielding pressure from another source, not shown, and are intermittently discharged from the chutes by an escapement mechanism operating in timed relation with the feed belt I. This mechanism is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 and comprises a pair of bell cranks I mounted on vertical rock shafts 8 supported in a bracket 9 which is attached to the side of the bed plate 3 and serves also to support the free end of the chute 6. The escapement mechanism is duplicated for each of the delivery chTites and will be described with respect to one of them.

The bell cranks I have their ends overlying the bed plate turned inwardly toward each other to engage and hold the line of cigarette packages as advanced along the chute. The bell cranks are yieldingly held in their inner positions by a suitable spring l0 and at their lower ends the shafts of the bell cranks are provided with cam rollers ll engaging the opposite sides of a cam l2 mounted on a shaft 13 underlying the bed plate and continuously driven in unison with the feed elt I. b Also driven in unison with the feed belt I is a conveyor chain l4 whose upper reach runs n a slot in the bed plate 3, the chain being provided with feed fingers or rollers l5 projecting upwardly from the upper reach of the chain into the feed trough I6 of the bed plate into which the packages are intermittently discharged, as illustrated in Fig. 7, upon each operation of the cam I2 of the escapement mechanism. The escapement mechanism is designed so that but one package from each feed chute will be dropped in the trough l6 of the bed plate I. v To prevent more than one package being discharged spring-retaining fingers I! are provided along each side wall of the chute 6, the ends of the fingers projecting beyond the side walls of the chute and engaging the sides of the last package but one in the chute. That is, the distance between the ends of the fingers I1 and the inturned ends of the bell cranks I is somewhat greater than the thickness of the package, so that the last package in the chute will be clear of the fingers H and ready to drop into the trough 6 when the bell cranks are opened, the floor of the chute being cut oif back of the ends of they bell cranks a sufiicient distance for the package to topple of its own weight into the trough when the bell cranks are opened.

In order" that the spring fingers I! will not scuff or injure the packages which are usually wrapped in glassine wrappers and may consequently be easily damaged, the fingers ll of their own resilience stand apart suificiently at their outer ends to clear the side edges of the packages, the fingers being pressed together against the edges of the packages by rearwardly extending arms I 8 of the bell cranks 1. Hence when the bell cranks are opened by the cam l2, at which time the advancing packages will have come to rest, the fingers II will be pressed against the sides of the now stationary package and hold it against movement until the bell cranks are closed, the closing movement of the bell cranks releasing the pressure of the spring fingers l1, thereby allowing the column of cigarettes to be advanced against the bell crank without undue friction against the fingers l1.

ages on the belt.

The several feed chutes 6 are so positioned and the cams l2 are so timed with respect to the movement of the chain l4 that the packages will be delivered from the chute 6 which is nearest adjacent the distant end of the feed chain I just in advance of the flight of the roller l5 reaching the position to engage the package. The next feed chute 6 will be so positioned and its escapement so operated as to deliver the package just in advance of the package delivered by the first mentioned chute, and so on, so that in the normal operation of the machine with all the chutes maintained full of packages so that each one will deliver a package to the feed chain I4 upon each cycle of operations, there will be delivered to the feed belt I a row of cigarette packages which are carried by the feed belt I to the carton-filling portion of the machine in a continuous row of closely adjacent packages, as illustrated in Fig. 1b.

The carton-filling mechanism is illustrated in Figs. 1b, 3-6 inclusive, and Figs. 9, 10, 11, and 12. Except for the feed belt I the parts of the carton-filling mechanism are operated from a separate motor designated the machine motor and illustrated at IS in Fig. 5. The operation of this motor is controlled by the movement of the packages through the machine through an automatic control mechanism illustrated schematically in Fig. 20, which will be later described. For the present it is sufficient to say that the control system is so designed that so long as the packages enter the machine in an unbroken row and the cartons are likewise supplied to the machine at proper intervals, the various parts operate continuously and in properly timed relation to place ten packages of cigarettes in each carton. However, if there is any stoppage in the line of cigarettes advanced in the machine, or in the supply of cartons, or in the operation of the mechanism for placing the cigarettes in the cartons, the machine will stop and remain inoperative until the supply of cigarettes or supply of cartons, whichever may have caused the stoppage, has been restored to normal, at which time the machine will again automatically become operative.

In the following description we will assume that the cigarette packages and the cartons will have been supplied to the machine in proper manner. The cigarette packages, as stated before, enter the machine along the feed belt which, as shown in Fig. lb, extends across a table or shelf 20 supported above the main frame 2i on brackets 22. In their movement across the shelf 20 the cigarettes are guided between edge guides 24 and pass under a series of switch fingers 25 mounted in a housing 26 above the path of travel. The switch controlled by these fingers is shown in detail in Fig. 9.

The switch proper comprises a mercury tube 21 supported at one end of a horizontally pivoted shaft as shown in Figs. 20 and 3, and which has a plurality of arms 28 projecting horizontally therefrom. Each finger 25 is supported on a stub shaft 25' projecting inwardly from the adjacent wall of the housing 26 sufliciently to overlie the edges of the packages as they are advanced by the feed belt I by the side guides 24. The forward ends of the fingers rest lightly on the advancing packages and their rearwardly extending ends engage the horizontal arms 28. There are five of these fingers 25 arranged so that they rest on five consecutive closely adjacent pack- As long as the packages are advanced into the machine a continuous line all five of the switch fingers will be elevated and the machine motor will be maintained in operation. Should one of the fingers drop its rear end will lift one of the horizontal arms 23, thereby causing the mercury to now to the opposite end of the tube 21 and break the contact through the switch, thereby stopping the machine.

Assuming the cigarette packages to continueln the machine in an unbroken line, the advancing package will ultimately reach a stop bar 23 which extends across the feed belt from a fixed bracket 29 mounted on an adjacent portion of the machine frame.

The ends of the side guides 24 terminate to the right of the stop bar 23, as shown in Fig. 3, that is, to the rear in the direction of the movement of the feed belt, a distance slightly greater than the width of five adjacent cigarette packages on the belt, and mounted adjacent this portion of the feed belt is a rocking feed pusher 30. The face of the feed pusher consists of a bar 3| having a longitudinal portion long enough to engage the five cigarette packages on the belt between the bar 29 and the ends of the guides 24 and a rearwardly projecting transvers portion 32 adapted when the pusher is rocked to extend across the feed belt I and stop the movement of the packages until the pusher is returned to its position of rest alongside the feed belt.

The stop bar 29 projects beyond the edge of the feed belt a distance slightly greater than the length of the cigarette packages--that is, their longest dimension, which is transverse of the feed belt in the position in which they are advanced into the machine- -and is then bent to provide a longitudinal portion 33 extending parallel with the feed belt and positioned so as to provide a stop for cigarette packages when they are pushed off the feed belt by pusher 32. The end of the stop bar 29 beyond the longitudinal portion 33 is bent backwardly toward the feed belt in close proximity with the end of the bar 24'so as to prevent displacement of the cigarettes in a longitudinal direction, the construction being such that when the feed pusher is rocked to its extreme position when shifting the cigarette packages of! the belt, the pusher and the stop bar 28 enclose the cigarette packages on all four sides and thus insure that the group of packages is accurately and exactly positioned at each operation.

As shown in Fig. 6, the guide 23 coincides with three sides of a vertical chute 34 down which the cigarettes in groups of live as shifted from the feed belt I are forced by a vertically operating feed plunger 35. The chute 34 is of a height to maintain when filled, five rows of cigarette packages, the packages being supported therein by spring fingers 35 projecting downwardly from the lower edge of the feed chute. The plunger 35 operates on each reciprocation to force a new row of five packages into the top of the chute and simultaneously discharge a row of five packages from the bottom of the chute into the carton which has in the meantime been positioned under the chute by the carton-feeding mechanism which will be later described.

The rocking pusher 30 is operated by a cam 31 suitably supported on the main frame of the machine and continuously driven from the machine motor through suitable sprocket chain connections which need not be described in detail.

into the machine for brief intervals of time only.-

The vertical plunger 35 is attached to a cross head 39 mounted for reciprocation in vertical guides 40 supported on a bracket projecting. upwardly from the member 2|. The cross head 35 is supported on a spring 4| carried by a guide post 42 supported on the same bracket as the guides 40, and the plunger is depressed at intervals by means of a cam 43 overlying a roller 44 projecting from the rear face of the cross head 39. The cam 43 is driven continuously through a sprocket 45 from the shaft 43 which carries the cam 31 so that the two operate in synchronism, the plunger 35 operating immediately after the pusher 30 to force the row of cigarettes advanced by the pusher down the chute 34.

The cartons designated C in the drawings are fed into the machine along a feed chute extending laterally from the machine at the level of the bed plate 2|. The cartons are positioned in the chute 50 with their fiaps open and projecting upward and downward as illustrated in Figs. 13, et seq. Any suitable means (not shown) may be provided for advancing the cartons along the chute 50. It will be understood that in the normal operation of the machine the cartons are fed along the chute in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 at a sufllciently rapid rate for a fresh carton to reach the end of the chute in time to be engaged by the feeding fingers 5| carried by the carton feed chain 52 engaged by sprockets supported in brackets 53 projecting upwardly from the bed plate 2| of the machine and driven continuously from the machine motor.

The sprockets of the feed chain 52 are mounted for rotation on horizontal axes so positioned that the lower reach of the feed chain extends alongside the path of travel of the cartons from the feed chute 50. The feed fingers 5| project laterally from the sprocket as shown in detail in Fig. 12. Each finger comprises a fixed part 54 fixedly attached to the sprocket chain and a finger -5| pivoted on the part 54 and yieldingly held at right angles to the path of movement of the chain so that should the movement of the cartons be obstructed the fingers will yield.

Means are provided to stop the machine in the event the cartons are not fed continuously to the machine. This means comprises a switch 58 supported in a housing attached to the under side of the bed plate 2| adjacent the end of a chute 50 and consisting of a mercury tube carried by a lever 55 whose upper end projects through the bed plate 2| and is provided with an arm or stop 51 positioned to be engaged by the successive cartons as they are advanced along the chute 50. A light spring holds the stop 51 projected into the path of the cartons so that as each carton is moved away from engagement with the stop by the action of the feed sprocket 52 the lever will be rocked by the spring, thereby tilting the mercury tubeand breaking the circuit. This switch, however, is arranged in parallel with other switches so that should the succeeding carton in the chute 50 be immediately projected against the finger 51, as will be the case if the cartons are of our companion application above referred to.

There are, in fact, two feed chains 60, one on each side of the path of travel of the carton provided with yielding fingers 62a and cross lugs 62. The yielding fingers 62a (shown in detail in Fig.

12a) engage and move the carton along the bed plate 2| to the filling position beneath chute 34. When the carton reaches this position, its motion is arrested by a stop mechanism to be later described, and because of the yielding nature of fingers 62a, they release the carton when it is arrested and slide along the sides of the carton as shown in Figs. 13 to 18, inclusive.

Means are provided for lifting the cartons when they reach a position in alignment with the chute 34. This means comprises a plunger 63 supported for vertical movement by a bracket 64 supported on the lowermost bed plate 65 of the machine. The plunger 63 is elevated by a cam 66 attached to the shaft 46 which carries the cam 31 so as to operate in proper timed relation therewith. The plunger 63 is normally held in its lowermost position by springs 61 and is supported on the cam 66 by means of a cam roller 66 which projects from the rear face of the plunger. The periphery of the cam is circular except at the position of its operating projection and thus serves to maintain the upper face of the plunger flush with the bed plate to receive the cartons as they are advanced by the chains 60.

Also mounted for vertical reciprocation through the bed plate 2| is a positioning finger or arm 69, whose construction is best shown in Fig. 5 as mounted immediately in front of the plunger 63 and is operated in proper sequence by means of a cam carried by the shaft on the outer sprocket ll of the sprocket chains 60.

A bell crank 12 is supported on the machine frame in position for one arm to engage the cam wand the other arm to engage and operate the arm 69. The purpose of the arm 69 is to stop the advancing movement of the carton in a position immediately beneath the chute 34 so that when the carton is elevated by the plunger 63 it will be 'in proper registry with the chute so that the flaps of the carton will project upwardly around the fingers 36 which support the bottommost row of packages in the chute and thus insure the proper placing of the cigarettes in the carton. For this purpose the stop arm 69 is reciprocated from a position beneath the face of the plunger 63 when the latter is in its lowermost position to a position above the face of the plunger 63 when the latter is elevated, thereby stopping the forward movement of the cartonwhen the plunger is elevated but allowing it to move forward when the plunger is lowered and the lugs 62 engage the rear end of the carton.

The cam 66 for operating the plunger 63 has but one operating projection instead of two, so that pusher 30 and plunger 35 operate twice for each operation of the plunger 63 and thereby force two rows of packages of five each into the carton. The operation of the feed chains 60 and the arrangement of the lugs 62 thereon is such that as the plunger 63 reaches its lowermost position and the stop arm 69 is withdrawn from its position in front of the carton, the lugs will engage the carton and feed it out of themachine into the delivery chute 6|.

The operation of the machine will'no doubt be sufiiciently understood from the foregoing description, but will be briefly summarized. The cigarette packages from the three or more feed chutes 6 are assembled on the conveyor chain [4 so as to provide normally a continuous row of cigarette packages on the feed belt I, by which they are conveyed along the upper shelf 20 of the carton filling machine. These packages pass in a continuous row under the switch fingers 25, all five of which must be elevated in order for the machine to operate. In the electrically controlled mechanism illustrated in Fig. 20, as there shown it will be observed that the belt motor 2 is mounted directly across the main leads of the circuit so as to be continuously operated independently of the rest of the mechanism. This belt motor operates the feed belt I, the feed chain i4 and the other parts of the package-feeding and assembling mechanism, but does not operate any of the parts of the carton-filling machine, all of which are operated from the machine motor.

The circuit for the machine motor is controlled primarily by manual push buttons, so labeled, in Fig. 20, whereby the operator may stop the carton-filling machine while allowing the belt motor to continue to operate. When the circuit is closed through the push button control, it passes first to a junction point 14 from which one branch leads to a mechanical switch I5 supported on the shaft 46, while the other branch leads to the switch 58 controlled by the incoming cartons. The two branches of the circuit are united at a second junction point 76 from which the lead extends to the switch fingers 25 which, as stated above, are arranged so that the dropping of any one of the switch fingers will break the circuit.

From the switch fingers 25 the current is conducted to the other terminal of the circuit. By this arrangement the mechanical switch 15 and the carton control switch 58 are in parallel and each is in series withthe switch 21. The mechanical switch I5 is operated from a cam 11 on the shaft 46. The cam has two operating projections positioned, respectively, slightly in ad- Vance of the operating projections of the cam 31. The switch 15 is normally closed so that the machine will remain in operation, assuming the line of packages on the shelf 26 is continuous, regardless of the condition of the switch 58.

Just before the cam 3'! acts to operate the pusher 30, the cam 11 will operate to break the circuit so that unless at this moment there is a carton in its proper position ready to be advanced into the machine, the machine will be stopped and will not resume operations until the carton is advanced into the machine and the switch 58 is closed. As soon as this takes place, the operation of the machine will begin, irrespective of the switch 15 being open.

The feed belt I operates continuously and upon any stoppage of the machine the feed belt slips under the packages which are held against movement by the stop bar 29. The machine will stop as soon as the gap in the cigarette line reaches the rearmost finger 25 and will not start again until this finger is again closed. Thus, one finger 25 will ordinarily serve to maintain the machine in proper operation to insure the full charge of packages for each carton. However, by providing five such switch fingers all of which must be closed for the machine to operate, an unbroken line of packages is insured from that point on.

The machine is designed to operate at high speed as compared with machines of this type generally; for that reason the stop bar 29 is shaped to surround the charge of cigarettes at the chute 34 and thus check any momentum the packages may have due to the rapid movement of the pusher 3U.

The stop finger 69 is projected into the path of the oncoming carton which under the action of yielding fingers 62a of feed chain is carried against the stop 69 after the plunger 63 elevates it above the top of the feed lugs, thus insuring its accurate positioning with regard to the feed chute 35. i

The carton. is held against lateral displacement during the loading operation by the side guides 18 carried by the plunger 63 intowhich the carton is directed by the fixed guides I9. The side flaps are held open while the packages are placed therein by the flap guide 13 which surrounds the lower end of the chute 34. The cartons are placed in thefeed chute 5|! with their flaps folded outwardly and theend flaps are long enough not to turn inwardly under the natural resilience of the paper. The shorter side flaps, however, sometimes show a tendency to project inwardly beyond the vertical. The guide 13, however, has the cartons carried under it by the feed chains 60 and projects between the side flaps and spreadsthem apart so as not to interfere with the packages of cigarettes as they are delivered into the carton.

The machine has been found substantially foolproof in operation even when operated at a high rate of speed.

It will of course be understood that while the construction and operation of the preferred embodiment of the machine have been described in a detail, the invention is not limited to such details except insofar as recited in the appended claims.

I claim: I

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of means for assembling a charge of articles, means for placing said charge of articles into a carton, means for advancing the cartons into said machine into position to receive the articles, said means comprising a continuously operated conveyor for feeding the cartons toward the machine, a stop mechanism in the path of said cartons, means for feeding the cartons away from said conveyor, and means controlled by said stop for actuating said last-named means whereby said means will be rendered operative only when a carton is advanced against said stop.

2. In a carton-filling machine, a conveyor for advancing a continuous succession of articles into said machine, means controlled by the articles so advanced for periodically shifting a predetermined number of articles oif said conveyor, article assembling means for superimposing the successive groups of articles so fed in successive layers one resting upon another and for simultaneously discharging a layer of articles therefrom, and

means for supporting a carton with its mouth adjacent the lower portion of said article-assembling means to receive the discharged layer of articles.

3. In a machineof the class described the combination of means for assembling a charge of articles, means for placing said charge of articles into a carton, a continuously operated conveyor for feeding cartonstoward the machine, a stop mechanism in the path of said cartons, a second conveyor adapted to receive the cartons from said first conveyor and advance them into position to receive'the articles, and means controlled by said stop mechanism for actuating said second conveyor whereby said conveyorwill be rendered operative only when a carton is advanced against saidstop.

CORNELIUS I.- BRAREN. 

